Election of Antipope Alexander V

Date: June 26, 1409 • Location: Rome, Italy

The Council of Pisa elected Peter of Candia as Alexander V, becoming the third simultaneous claimant of the papacy during the Western Schism.

The Council of Pisa was a controversial council held in 1409. It attempted to end the Western Schism by deposing both Benedict XIII (Avignon) and Gregory XII (Rome) for schism and manifest heresy. The College of Cardinals, composed of members from both the Avignon Obedience and the Roman Obedience, who were recognized by each other and by the Council, then elected a third papal claimant, Alexander V, who lived only a few months. He was succeeded by John XXIII.